1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for tightening two belts and, more particularly, to a belt-tightening apparatus equipped with an inexpensive and robust element for connecting one of the belts.
2. Related Prior Art
It is not reliable to use bare hands to operate a belt or string to tie cargo. In such a case, the cargo could easily get loose and fall and get damaged during transportation. To solve this problem, belt-tightening apparatuses have been devised to tighten belts wound around cargo.
A conventional belt-tightening apparatus includes a frame, a handle, a shaft for rotationally connecting the handle to the frame, a threaded bolt inserted through the frame, and a nut engaged with the threaded bolt. A first belt is wound on the shaft. A second belt is formed with a loop located around the threaded bolt. The first and second belts are tied to a platform of a trailer for example. By pivoting the handle relative to the frame repeatedly, the first belt is reeled in so that the first and second belts are tightened and that cargo is securely tied to the platform of the trailer. The cost of material for making the threaded bolt and the nut is high. The cost of labor for engaging the threaded bolt with the nut is high. The engagement of the threaded bolt with the nut is not reliable because it would get slack due to vibration occurred during the transportation. Hence, the cargo is insecure, and a user is unsafe.
As disclosed in Taiwanese Patent Nos. M351804 and M351805, a belt-tightening apparatus includes an integral element or combinative unit instead of the combination of the threaded bolt with the nut. The integral element or combinative unit includes a strip made with a structure that looks like a “U” in a cross-sectional view. The strip could however be deformed under a heavy load from the second belt. The belt-tighten apparatus would be out of order in such a case.
The present invention is therefore intended to obviate or at least alleviate the problems encountered in prior art.